In my graduate thesis, I researched distraction and attention, and then designed technology that decreased the former and increased the latter. Although this process culminated in a suite of design offerings, at the end of the project I failed to create a single fully-successful solution. That research and work showed me that distraction and attention are some of our most important battle grounds today.

Humans love to be distracted, whether it’s realized or subconscious. Distraction is comfortable. Our attention span is shrinking, and we don’t notice because the newest app is designed to take advantage of that span and is optimized to keep our eyes engaged in its distraction. One dominating lesson that I learned from my work is that any behavior change, including improving attention, is very difficult without the person being an active part, wanting to improve and having a strong drive to remain dedicated to that change.

Humans love to be distracted.

During this time, I designed wearable tech that solved parts of the problem, and if used how normal humans would use it, would most likely be more distracting overall. The current lines of fitness trackers and wearables now reaching the market are in a very similar situation. Many new haptic wearables (that use vibration as its main output) position and brand themselves as conscientious notifications. The user gets to choose whose texts and calls buzz through to their wearable while the others languish on their phone in silence. This positioning will work for some people, but I wonder if, in practice, it will actually lower the number of times a person looks at their phone overall. The fear of missing out is strong in the millennial generation, and they already have a decade of Pavlovian training in checking mobile phones for notifications and updates. I feel that these notification bracelets will reinforce current habits instead of creating new ones, unless the user has that strong drive to change.

I personally tested many of my ideas and solutions, from analog and simple, to digital and complex, and found that the best solution is to limit your own access to distractions. You can accomplish this in many ways, including clearing off your desk, turning off all the notifications on your phone (which is more difficult to do then you realize), or even deleting social media apps off of your phone and tablet.

The best solution is to limit your own access to distractions.

Another solution is to change how we design our websites and apps, but there’s little to no value for big companies to change, especially when they’re using an ad-based revenue model that depends on unique page views to drive profit. I’m not sure what the next revenue model should be after this ad-bubble bursts, but websites and app companies should be planning and exploring other metrics to evaluate value. Medium has begun to do this with total time reading, but does not yet use it as a revenue model.

At the same time that social media sites are designed to get the longest page view times, the tide is beginning to turn towards the desire to be less distracted. As more people find the inner drive to be an active part of their behavior change, there will be more value for companies in designing less distracting websites and software. And at that point, software and websites that are designed for easy, streamlined use will dominate the market. People will demand this kind of design in the products they buy and use, and they will be willing to pay more for that experience.

As more people find the inner drive to be an active part of their behavior change, there will be more value for companies in designing less distracting websites and software.

But distraction is not just in the apps we use; it’s the mind wandering, looking for something, anything, on which to put its flighty attention. It’s the discomfort in being alone with our thoughts, our inner monologue, and retreating into the comfortable realm outside of our mind. We’ve ignored that inner person for so long that she’s not as developed as we are and not as fun to interact with as reading Facebook statuses.

Don’t give your mind as many options for distraction and your attention will improve. The more time you spend with your inner person, the more developed and supportive she’ll become. Meditation, mindfulness, paying attention, and writing are all wonderful practices that allow us to build a relationship with ourself and make us more resilient against distraction. And the better we know that inner voice, the more our understanding, productivity, confidence, and outlook on life will improve.

So delete your social media apps and turn off your notifications, but also dedicate yourself to living a more present life. Only when you discover your own motivation, can you truely make strides in improving your attention and limiting your distraction.

For more information on this topic, you can learn more about my thesis and design solutions and read my thesis book.